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Rigus
Rigus is the gatetown to Acheron. It is situated on the Great Road of the Outlands between Automata and Ribcage. Description The Outlands in the area around Rigus reflect the character of Acheron. The landscape is mainly flat, dusty plains populated only by sage, prairie grass, and tumbleweeds. Here and there, small farming settlements can be seen eeking out an existence in the shadow of the gatetown. The gatetown itself is a huge, permanent military encampment, rising iron wall upon iron wall and stone battlement upon stone battlement above the surrounding lands. Rigus sits upon a fortified hill, the top of which is some 180' above the plains. It is said that this hill is artificial and is formed from the bones of all those who have died fighting in Acheron's pointless conflicts. The city is made of eight octagonal sectors, each one walled and sitting 20' higher than the level below. The most solid constructions in Rigus are its walls. These are monstrous bulwarks of iron, 20' thick and 40' high. They also glisten in the Outland's sun as they have been coated with poisons to keep rust monsters (and certain undesired guests) away. They are topped with thick stone battlements which provide cover to the numerous archers which patrol the walls. Every tower in the wall has a siege engine of some kind mounted atop it. Each wall only has one gate set into it. These gates are a complex affair of doors and portcullises. These portals are also made entirely of poison-coated iron. However, the rest of the buildings in the city are of a temporary variety. Most residences are nothing more than large tents. Here and there, more public buildings (such as stores, taverns, and residences of the higher-ups) are made from quickly constructed wooden cabins (pasteboard, prefab, etc.). Everything is laid out in strict rows, but the streets are a dusty and muddy mess. The air is thick with the smoke from cooking fires. Along the backside of the hill, a stream of passable water flows up out of the hill and down from the Crown and into various pools and wells. It is named "The Siege Breaker". Unlike most towns, each ward has exactly the same makeup as the others - things do not rise in social standing as one climbs the hill. This is to prevent the city from being crippled if one area should fall. This means that any service or rank of inhabitant can be found in any sector. The sectors, from bottom to top, are called: The Foundation, The Wall, The Battlement, The Bailey, The Tower, The Keep, The Throne, The Crown. Only the Crown is different from the other wards. All of the buildings within are stone (although some still resemble tents) and the air smells of death and decay; no sound is heard here. The only reason to come here (other than being ordered to appear before a High General) is the low tower in the center of the sector. The top of this tower is the start of the staircase the leads to the portal to Acheron. The staircase is a wide spiral that descends nearly a mile into the ground. It is anchored directly into the dirt and rock of the land - here and there things that resemble bones can be seen sticking out of the shaft's walls. The center of the shaft is filled with the inverted waterfall that is the source of Siege Breaker. At the bottom of the long and winding staircase is a chamber hewed from the living rock. In its center is the gate to Acheron - called the Lion's Gate. The Gate is an archway made from bariaur bones and filled with a swirling mass of green-yellow mist and a stationary vertical black stripe down the middle. Numerous tunnels snake off into the depths from this chamber. Items of Interest The only place that visitors are really welcomed is an inn near the Foundation Gate called The Broken Slate. It is run by a small family of Indeps who don't belong to any of the Orders. The inn is actually a walled (wood) city block filled with a jumble of wooden buildings and tents. The food and lodging is of poor quality, but it's cheap and practically the only place in town a traveller can spend the night (other than a whorehouse or a jail). Anyone is allowed in the Crown sector. They simply have to state their name, rank, and Order to be allowed through the Crown Gate. (With a large cadre of liches around, there is no reason to patrol the streets against theft.) The central tower provides eventual access to the gate to Acheron. It should be noted that there are numerous recruiting posters placed around the city. They are mainly advertising the opportunities available in the Blood War. Both Tanar'ri and Baatezu posters can be seen. Also, there are always agents from each side actively holding recruitment "rallies" in the streets (but always at least four blocks away from each other). Occasionally, new recruits get to fight in the Blood War immediately - by being ordered to go and attack a recruiter from the opposing side. Inhabitants Everyone in Rigus has a rank; ranging from the lowest slave-soldier, to the base citizen, and into the higher military ranks from private to general. Each person is expected to obey any order from anyone of a higher rank - but the person's own Order is given precedence in times of conflicting orders. To disobey is treason; and treason means death. Instead of families or clans, the populace is divided up and organized into military orders. There are currently some 100 orders in Rigus. The most powerful is a grim bunch called the Toll of Doom Brotherhood. They count more than a few Doomguard amongst their numbers. The general of this order is a female ex-paladin called Nagaro. There are three other Orders of note. The first is a group called The Departed - they are almost solely composed of Dustmen. While not very large, they have great influence as they are responsible for cleaning up the corpses left from battle (thus prevent the spread of disease). They also form the exclusive guards to the main gate of Rigus and know the dark of how the portal to Acheron works. The next is the second most powerful group is the Order of Punishment. This group is openly allied with (and staffed by) the Mercykillers. This group is mainly here to keep an eye on the town to make sure that events here can't threaten the base of operations in Vorkehan. The third group of note is a small order called the Hosts of Alexander. It is fairly uninfluential with grandiose dreams of war and invasions. It is only noteworthy because the recently freed ex-factol of the Expansionists, Vartus Timlin, has just become general of this order. With his influence, they are slowly growing in strength and numbers. Visitors to Rigus are given a very cold shoulder unless they are here to directly support the war effort (either through sale of goods or recruitment of troops). To show that they don't know the dark of the city, each one is given a large gray slate on a heavy iron chain to wear around their neck. However, this doesn't complete grant the traveller slack. It is still possible to annoy the wrong high-up and have the slate removed and yourself relegated to the rank of slave-soldier (or citizen if you're lucky). The people themselves (20,000) are a fairly even mix of humans, tieflings, and evil humanoids (such orcs and bugbears). Rumors/Recent Events Nagaro and the other generals have been talking about expanding the thrall towns of Rigus to include Automata and Ribcage for years. However, with the arrival and quick promotion of the new general of the Hosts of Alexander, it seems that those plans may soon become more than talk. There are very quiet rumors that the Order of Punishment wants to become a military tribunal that acts as a buffer between the generals and the former generals in the Crown. This would give them (almost) complete control over the city (and probably cause it to slide into Acheron). Another odd rumor is that Nagaro is looking to find a husband from among the other generals and then use the combined might of those two Orders to remove all of the smaller ones from Rigus. Category:Gatetowns Category:Settlements in the Outlands